Who Ely suits
Ely suits Great Basin National Park visitors (the park entrance is 66 miles east — about an hour), Loneliest Road drivers doing US-50, railfans riding the Nevada Northern Railway steam trains, and anyone driving US-93 between Las Vegas and Idaho. Best option is the Hotel Nevada, built 1929 and once the tallest building in the state, at $70 to $130. The Prospector Hotel & Gambling Hall runs $80 to $140. Chain hotels along the highways run $100 to $150.
It does not suit anyone expecting a scenic mountain town — Ely is a former copper mining hub at 6,400 feet, surrounded by high desert. Winters are cold (nights below zero are normal in January) and summers are dry and warm.
What is walkable
From Hotel Nevada on Aultman Street you can walk to the Nevada Northern Railway depot and museum (steam and diesel excursions, a genuine highlight — book ahead), a series of downtown murals covering copper mining history, the White Pine Public Museum, and about eight restaurants including the Cellblock Steakhouse inside the old jail. Great Basin National Park requires a car — allow 90 minutes each way plus a full day for Wheeler Peak and Lehman Caves (caves require advance ticketing).
Good to know
Can I do Great Basin as a day trip from Ely?+
Yes, and most people do. Leave by 8am, do a cave tour and the Wheeler Peak drive, back by 6pm.
Is Hotel Nevada worth it?+
Yes. The rooms are basic but the building itself, the lobby and the ground-floor casino are genuinely historic and it is $80 a night.